
A Portela Mencía 2010
Valdeorras, Spain
100% Mencía (pronounced
Men-THEE-ah).
This wine is startlingly deep
garnet black in color.
Upon first whiff
are scents of musky earth, followed by hints of graphite. Rich cherry & currant flavors, along with
a distinctive presence of balsamic fill the mouth.
Smooth & spicy, with hints of pepper and
lively, earthy fruits of cranberry and huckleberry, like a dance flamenco! Herbacious bay leaf and coffee liqueur become
apparent in time, adding subtle layers.
These notes may not be noticeable all at once. Give this some time! For myself, I would love to be sipping a
glass of this at a little table in a Spanish Mesón with tapas and live
flamenco players, singers, dancers ... Ola!
For tapas ... charcuterie,
mussels w/tomatoes, garlic & herbs, sautéed mushrooms on
toasts or semi-hard, nutty, earthy cheese like manchego. For entree's, great with holiday ham or pork loin!
This unique wine is produced
from the rare Mencía grape, estate owned and organically grown by the Ladera
Sagrada vineyard in the appellation of Valdeorras in Galicia (northwest Spain). Founded in
1920, the vineyard is now owned and managed by winemaker Jose’ L. Sotos. The bodega makes wine using only the best 20%
of its grapes (the rest sold to neighboring producers). Vines are grown in granite and slate soil and
100% unoaked. The estate also grows a white varietal called Godello. More on that one in another article, as I
love that one too! During Roman
times Valdeorras was known for its gold, hence its name, the Valley of Gold. High elevations of this small part of Galicia produce Mencía grapes different from other Galician
wine regions. The flavors tend to be
bright with great aromatic expression, also due to the cool temperatures of the
Atlantic-influenced climate and longer ripening period.
Bottom line – exceptional value! Comes
to us through Ole’ Imports and National Distributors here in Maine. In Greater
Portland find it at Old Port Wine Merchants on Commercial St. for an amazing $13.99. I had also picked it when writing the wine list for
Cantina el Rayo on York St. Last I knew
it was there as well. You can always ask your local wine purveyor/retail store if they could order it for you!
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